Kolkata Knight Riders set to lock horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad
Kolkata Knight Riders will have a golden opportunity on Sunday night to inch a step closer to the playoffs of the Indian Premier League when they meet Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The game will commence at 7:30 pm (India Time).
Expected playing XI
KKR
Venkatesh Iyer, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (C), Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Tim Seifert, Tim Southee, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Mavi.
SRH
Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Kane Williamson (C), Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma.
Probable best performers
Venkatesh Iyer
Iyer’s addition the KKR side has changed its fate in the UAE. They have been putting up mammoth totals on the board consistently because Iyer has been making hay of powerplay overs.
Playing in his first IPL season, the left-handed opener has shown sublime composure in his opening stands with Shubman Gill. Despite having less experience than Gill, Iyer has played the situation in every game, attacking the bowlers only when the scenario demands him to.
Dismissing him early in the powerplay will make things easier for SRH.
What makes Iyer a valuable T20 royalty is his all-round ability. When the Riders are searching for breakthroughs, Iyer has come in and taken a wicket or two as well.
This shows that the 26-year-old is a complete package who can strike bowlers at will as well as hamper the opposition’s batting line-ups.
Rashid Khan
Amid all the chaos that the SRH huddle is undergoing, there’s only one man who has been consistently troubling the batters of every IPL franchise – Rashid Khan.
The Afghanistan leggy has been phenomenal when it comes to keeping the economy tight. He may not have notched wickets this season (14) like he has done previously, but hasn’t let the batter get the better of him like they have been spanking other SRH bowlers all over the park.
If KKR want to put up a big score, they will have to play Rashid’s spells with a calm head.
Match prediction
The Knight Riders are currently placed fourth in the points table, sharing 10 points with Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians.
With a win over low-spirited SRH, Eoin Morgan’s men will get closer to qualifying for the next stage of the competition.
Though, the Sunrisers have already been eliminated from the competition and have nothing to lose, cruising past the Riders still seems like an uphill task for Kane Williamson and co.
They’re coming off a one-sided loss to CSK, their openers did not click in the last contest as well, and their bowling combinations are all over the place.
Hence, KKR will be the firm favourites for the Sunday game.
